William Ward is a lawyer who represents many of the plaintiffs. He says they are upset about how raising fish in the Gulf will affect the environment and the fishing industry, and the problems it could cause.

There are unresolved “issues of pollution from feed, effluent, (and) antibiotics flowing out of the pens and into the wild species; parasites and other things.” Ward says. “This is the genie out of the bottle. Once the genie is out of the bottle, wild fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico will never be the same.”

Ward wants the rule thrown out or overseen by Congress. For now, it’ll stay in effect as the parties hash out the lawsuit.

NOAA included environmental safeguards in the new rule, but the lawsuit says it’s not enough. A representative for NOAA said the agency would not comment on ongoing litigation.

Support for WWNO's Coastal Desk comes from the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Coypu Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation.

Related Content

Most of the fish we eat in the U.S. comes from other countries. Fishermen in Louisiana have long sought to displace some of those imports but the industry has faced challenges like hurricanes and the 2010 BP oil spill.

Now, a new source of fish in the gulf offers promise -- but also raises questions.